Meaning & Definition of word "Chaff"

Chaff

/tʃæf/

1. The husks of corn or other seed separated by winnowing or threshing.
- Example: After the harvest, the field was covered with chaff left by the grain.
2. Worthless or trivial matters; nonsense.
- Example: The debate was filled with chaff, distracting from the real issues at hand.
3. Material that is discarded or considered of little value.
- Example: He was able to separate the important information from the chaff in the report.

1. To remove the chaff from (grain) by a process of winnowing or threshing.
- Example: Farmers chaff the wheat to ensure that only the grains are collected.
2. To tease or make fun of someone.
- Example: The friends would often chaff each other about their sports teams.

Middle English: from Old English ceaf, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch kaf and German Kaffe.

separating the wheat from the chaff:

Distinguishing valuable from worthless.

chaff and chatter:

Trivial talk or noise.

grain:

Edible seeds or fruits of cultivated plants.

thresh:

To separate grain from its husk.

husks:

The dry outer covering of a seed or grain.

Meaning: Nonsense or trivial matter.

Example Sentence: He always talks so much chaff at parties.

Meaning: Something that lacks substance.

Example Sentence: All those flashy ads are just chaff; the product doesn't live up to the hype.